Insulated wall



June 21, 1966 R. H. BISHOP 3,

INSULATED WALL Filed April 17, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEYS June 21, 1966 R. H. BISHOP 3,256,663

INSULATED WALL Filed April 17, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR RoberZ-EBM A ORNEYS United States Patent 3,256,663 INSULATED WALL Robert H. Bishop, 808 W. Park St, Champaign, Ill. Filed Apr. 17, 1962, Ser. No. 188,141

2 Claims. (Cl. 52395) The present invention relates to a unit housing or similar enclosure of the prefabricated variety which is adapted to effectively prevent the flow of heat through the walls of the housing and to withstand greater than atmospheric internal pressures.

The particular object of the present invention is to provide a unit housing which is so constructed as to effectively seal an enclosed area and withstand excessive pressures generated therein.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a relatively light weight unit housing formed from a plurality of individual panels which may be easily and quickly joined together at a point of use.

A further object of the present invention is to provide novelly designed and arranged panel joining elements which may be quickly and easily affixed to the panels and.

when in assembled position affect a completely tight fluid seal of the panel joints.

To accomplish the foregoing objectives there is contemplated a unit housing or enclosure having top and side walls, each of which is for-med by one or more insulated panels. Each panel comprises a pair of panel sheets which are adapted to be retained in a spaced apart relationship by means of non-heat conducting breaker strips extending between and suitably afiixed to the marginal edges of the sheets. A suitable insulating material such as fiber glass may be placed within the panels in the space defined by the sheets and the breaker strips.

Adjacent panels of the present housing construction are adapted to be joined together in an adjustable, spaced apart relationship by means of panel joining elements.

The joining elements are of two types, namely, a generally U-shaped channel extrusion, and a L-shaped angle extrusion, the latter being provided with longitudinally extending recesses disposed on the outwardly facing portions of each leg flange.

In the low pressure form of the present unit housing wherein interior housing pressure does not exceed 3 inches of water, the U-shaped extrusion is predominantly employed. When the adjacent panels to be joined are in a planar relationship, a pair of U-shaped extrusions, one of which is disposed on either side of the panels, are employed to seal the joint therebetween. The L-shaped channel extrusion is employed to seal the joint at the interior corner formed by a normally disposed adjacent panel. The recess formed in the U-shaped extrusion is adapted to retain a resiilent sealing strip which, upon afilxing the extrusion to the adjacent panels, acts to cover the joint between the panels. In a like fashion, sealing strips are adapted to be received in each recess provided in the L-shaped channel extrusion. Upon affixing the L-shaped channel to the interior corner formed by adjacent normally disposed panels the strips seal against the sides of the panels and thus affect a seal of the joint.

Where the present unit housing is adapted to house a high pressure system on the order of from 6 to 9 inches of water the U-shaped extrusion which is adapted to seal 3,256,663 Patented June 21, 1966 the joint between adjacent planar panels on their outwardly facing surface is replaced by a pair of L-shaped extrusions. One of the pair of L-shaped extrusions is affixed to each panel to be joined, and then joined to the other along their free leg flanges. Sealing strips, retained in the several recesses provided in the L-shaped extrusions, then act to seal the extrusions both with respect to each other and with respect to the panels. The arrangement of panel joining means employed on the inwardly facing surface of the high pressure unit housing may be the same as that provided in the low pressure housing.

To complement the effective seals formed between adjacent panels of the present housing construction, joining elements in the form of L-shaped extrusions are employed to attach the downwardly facing side of each wall panel and seal it with respect to a floor or other suitable foundation on which the housing is supported.

In describing the present invention reference may be made to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective vview of a unit housing constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken along lines 2-2 of FIGURE 1 showing the structure of and means employed in joining adjacently disposed panels;

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 2, but showing the panel joining elements employed in a high pressure unit housing; and

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken along the lines 44 of FIGURE 1 showing the joining elements employed to affix and seal the housing with respect to a supporting surface.

As shown, the unit housing of the present invention is indicated generally at 1 and may be positioned on any desired supporting surface 2. Any type of desired unit (not shown) such as air conditioning units, fans, blowers or the like may be housed within the present structure. A door 3 may be provided for easy access to the unit within the housing 1.

The housing 1 comprises top and side walls, each of which is formed by one or more prefabricated panels. In that the essential features of the panel construction are similarly arranged and positioned in each panel, reference is made to ceiling panels 8 and 10 and side wall panels 11, 12 and 13 which are representative of all the panels employed in the housing 1.

Essentially, each of the panels comprises an inner panel sheet 14 and an outer panel sheet 16 which are positioned and retained in a spaced apart relationship by means of non-heat conducting breaker strips 18. The breaker strips 18 are disposed about the marginal edges of he panel sheets 14 and 16 and may be secured thereto by any suitable means such as pump rivets 19. The space defined by the panel sheets and the breaker strips may be filled with any suitable insulating material such as woven glass fiber 20. If necessary, suitable internal supports in the form of breaker strips 21 may be disposed between the inner and outer panel sheets and afiixed thereto by brackets 22 and top rivets 24. The breaker strips 21 would also prevent circulation of air within the panels.

In the embodiment of the present unit housing construction as illustrated in FIG. 2, relatively low internal static pressures ranging up to three inches of water are adapted to be maintained. In this embodiment, the seal:

ing means adapted to join adjacently disposed planar surfaces of adjacent panels 8 and 10 is in the form of an elongated, generally U-shaped channel 26. A recess 28, formed by the leg portions and base of channel 26, is adapted to receive a resilient sealing strip 30. Suitable fastening means which may be in the form of metal screws 32 are employed to aflix the extrusion 26 to the panel sheets 14 of panels 8 and 10.

In the low pressure unit housing a substantially U-shaped elongated channel 34 which is of a similar construction to channel 26 is adapted to join outwardly facing planar surfaces of adjacently disposed panels. As in the case of channel'member 26, channel 34 is adapted to receive a sealing strip 36 and to be aflixed to the outwardly facing panel sheets 16 of panels 8 and 10 by means of suitable metal screws 37.

When it is desired to join the normally disposed inwardly facing panel sheets of adjacent panel members disposed at right angles to form a corner of the housing unit, a joining member 38 is provided. The member 38 is of a generally right angular or L-shaped configuration having legs 40 and 42 with recesses 44 and 46 therein which are adapted to receive sealing strips 48. The member 38 may be affixed to the inwardly facing panel sheets 14 by any suitable means such as metal screws 49.

It will now be understood that with this novel construction, the problem of sealing between the adjacent panels is overcome. These units are assembled on the site where they are to be used. It is therefore desirable to permit variances in the spacing between adjacent panels. Since the connecting means are secured to the side walls of the panels and seal the space between the-panels, this space may vary from top to bottom between adjacent panels without destroying the sealing effect of the connecting means. Also, this space may vary among the several connections of adjacent panels without adversely effecting the scaling function of the connecting means. This is also true of the corner connections.

Referring now to FIG. 4, it will be-seen that the downwardly facing edge of each vertically extending panel, such as 50, may be secured to a floor or supporting surface 2 in sealed engagement therewith by means of suitable joining members 54 which are similar to the members 38. Joining members 54 are provided with recesses 56 and 58 which are adapted to receive sealing strips 60 and 62 respectively. Members 54 may first be aflixed to the inwardly and outwardly facing panel sheets 14 and 16 by means of metal screws 64 and then be anchored to the floor by means of bolts 65. A suitable filler or caulking 66 is confined within the space defined by the floor 2, breaker 18 and the members 54.

In the event the present unit housing is to contain a high pressure system, a stronger connection may be desirable on the outer walls 16 of the panels. This may be accomplished by employing two of the L-shaped members 38. A pair of L-shaped members, indicated by 38' in FIG. 3, are afiixed to the outer walls 16 of adjacent panels in abutting relation with each other and secured together.

One member 38 has one leg 40' secured to the outer wall 16 of the panel 8 with its other leg 42' extending outwardly therefrom. A second member 38' has one leg 40' secured to the outer wall 16 of the panel 10 with its other leg 42' extending outwardly therefrom. The legs 42 are brought into abutting relation with each other and secured together by any suitable means.

The sealing strips 48 in the recesses 46' are brought together in sealing engagement to prevent passage of fluid between the members 38. The sealing strips 48 in the recesses 44' are pressed against the outer walls 16 for sealing engagement therewith to prevent fluid from passing therebetween.

In this manner, the two members 38 provide a stronger connection between panels while maintaining a fluid tight connection.

It will be seen readily that the present housing construction affords a completely sealed enclosure and effectively prevents the flow of heat either inwardly or outwardly thereof.

First, there is no metal or like heat conducting connection between the inwardly and outwardly facing surfaces of the individual panels. Further, a completely fluid tight seal is formed along the joint of adjacent panels both along the outwardly and inwardly facing surfaces thereof.

Also, it is possible by employing the above discussed structure to vary the thickness of each panel by merely changing the width of breaker strips. Additionally, the distance between adjacent panels may be varied somewhat without adversely affecting the seal of the joining means of this invention.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in certain embodiments, it is recognized that other variations and changes may be made therein without departing from the invention as set forth in the claims.

I claim:

1. An insulated wall being formed by at least two insulating panels, each of said panels comprising a pair of thin spaced-apart panel sheets, said sheets having inwardly directed flanges, non-heat conducting relatively thicker breaker strips abutting said sheets and connected to said flanges, insulating material disposed between said sheets, panel joining means connecting said panels together in end-to-end relationship with an open space therebetween, said means comprising a pair of channel members, each having a base between a pair of legs and each being located on opposite sides of the panel with the base straddling the space between the panels, each channel memher having a resilient seal strip extending across the space between the panels and in face-to-face contact with the panel sheetsof both panels between the legs of the channel member, and a series of screws extending through the base and into the panel sheets at opposite sides of the space between the panels and spaced from the ends of saidbreaker strips fastening the channel member to both panels and for holding the seal strip in tight engagement with the base and the panel sheets.

2. An insulated wall being formed by at least two insulating panels, each of said panels comprising a pair of thin spaced apart panel sheets, said sheets having inwardly directed flanges, non-heat conducting relatively thicker breaker strips abutting said sheets and connected to said flanges, insulating material disposed between said sheets, panel joining means connecting said panelstogether in endto-end relationship with an open space therebetween, said means comprising a channel member having a base between a pair of legs with the base straddling the space between the panels, a resilient seal strip extending across the space between the panels and in face-to-face contact with the panel sheets of both panels between the legs of the channel member, and a series of screws extending through the base and into the panel sheet on opposite sides of the space between the panels, for fastening the channel member to both panels and for holding the seal strip in tight engagement with the base and the panel sheets; and said means also comprising a pair of L-shaped members, each leg of each L-shaped member having a recess with a resilient seal strip therein, the L-shaped members being located at opposite sides of the space between the panels on the side of panels opposite said channel member, one seal strip of each L- shaped member being in face-to-face contact with a panel sheet on opposite sides of the space between the panels, and the other seal strips of the L-shaped members being in face-to-face contact with each other, and a series of screws spaced from the ends of said breaker strips fastening one leg of each L-shaped member to a corresponding panel and holding the corresponding seal strips in tight engagement with said panel sheets and means fastening together the remaining legs of the L-shaped members and holding said other seal strips in tight engagement.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Lawrence 52285 Magney et a1. 1 52356 Knox 52461 Kirk 52278 Houlis s2-40s McLaughlin 52206 Newman 53293 Strandlund 52396 Hammitt et a1. 52--4-99 6 6/ 1958 Feketics 52280 X 7/ 195 8 Huston et a1. 52- 200 3/1960 Hauf 52262 8/ 196 1 Cipriani et a1. 52456 FOREIGN PATENTS 1/ 1957 Canada. 2/ 1956 Great Britain.

FRANK L. ABBOTT, Primary Examiner. WILLIAIM I. MUSHAKE, HENRY C. SUTHERLAND,

Examiners.

I. L. RIDGILL, Assistant Examiner. 

1. AN INSULATED WALL BEING FORMED BY AT LEAST TWO INSULATING PANELS, EACH OF SAID PANELS COMPRISING A PAIR OF THIN SPACED-APART PANEL SHEETS, SAID SHEETS HAVING INWARDLY DIRECTED FLANGES, NON-HEAT CONDUCTING RELATIVELY THICKER BREAKER STRIPS ABUTTING SAID SHEETS AND CONNECTED TO SAID FLANGES, INSULATING MATERIAL DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID SHEETS, PANEL JOINING MEANS CONNECTING SAID PANELS TOGETHER IN END-TO-END RELATIONSHIP WITH AN OPEN SPACE THEREBETWEEN, SAID MEANS COMPRISING A PAIR OF CHANNEL MEMBERS, EACH HAVING A BASE BETWEEN A PAIR OF LEGS AND EACH BEING LOCATED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE PANEL WITH THE BASE STRADDLING THE SPACE BETWEEN THE PANELS, EACH CHANNEL MEMBER HAVING A RESILIENT SEAL STRIP EXTENDING ACROSS THE SPACE BETWEEN THE PANELS AND IN FACE-TO-FACE CONTACT WITH THE PANEL SHEETS OF BOTH PANELS BETWEEN THE LEGS OF THE CHANNEL MEMBER, AND A SERIES OF SCREWS EXTENDING THROUGH THE BASE AND INTO THE PANEL SHEETS AT OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE SPACE BETWEEN THE PANELS AND SPACED FROM THE ENDS OF SAID BREAKER STRIPS FASTENING THE CHANNEL MEMBER TO BOTH PANELS AND FOR HOLDING THE SEAL STRIP IN TIGHT ENGAGEMENT WITH THE BASE AND THE PANEL SHEETS. 